So many caregivers who are providing end of life care, feel as if they have to do something specific in order to be there “properly” for someone they love at the end of life. Just being present is the best thing you can do for that person and for yourself.
Here are some ideas to help for end of life care.
Let Communication Run at Your Family Member’s Pace
At the end of life, communication is not always predictable when it comes to the people you love. Your senior may feel like talking a lot or she may not talk at all. What helps the most in this situation is for you to follow her lead as much as you can. When she’s interested in talking, go along with her conversational shifts. When she seems to need quiet, honor that.
Just Spend Time with Your Family Member
A good rule you can follow is to just count on spending time with your elderly family member. You don’t have to do anything specific. Even just sitting with her and being nearby can be enough sometimes. If you want to dig deeper, you can ask what she’d like for you to do, whether you spend some of your time together talking or not. Sometimes reading to your senior or finding other things to do near her can be enough.
Let End of Life Care Professionals Help with the Difficult Tasks
There is a lot going on for you to manage as your senior’s primary caregiver. It’s all a lot easier if you have help, especially from people who understand what you and your elderly family member are going through at this stage of her life. End of life care plan that supports her needs and the rest of the family’s needs as well.
Don’t Forget to Take Care of Yourself, Feel Your Own Feelings, and Let Them Go
Something that a lot of family caregivers overlook is how this situation impacts them. You need to be taking the best care of yourself that you possibly can so that you’re able to keep doing what needs to get done. If you stop taking good care of yourself in terms of sleep, hydration, and nutritional intake, you’re going to hinder your ability to be there for your senior as much as you want to be.
There are a lot of emotions wrapped up in caring for someone who is at the end of their life. Putting your feelings to the side or trying to ignore them is not going to help. It only makes the situation more difficult. What you need to do is to find ways to feel your own feelings and work through them. That’s a lot easier with the help that end of life care providers can offer you.
This isn’t an easy time at all for you and for other family members. That’s why it’s important to do what you can to be as present as possible right now, so you’re able to spend meaningful time with the people that you love.
If you or your aging loved one could benefit from End of Life Care Services in Bamberg SC, contact the caring staff at Grove Park Hospice, at (803)536-6644.
Providing Hospice & Palliative Care in Orangeburg, Bamberg, & Calhoun Counties
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